Second Chances
by Seruphim
Summary: Cell has made it to the Afterlife, but a change in plans lands him in a teenage body who attends Orange Star High. What's the Supreme Kai planning? And what are Cell's plans now that he's back on Earth?
1. Redemption?

_What__…__.had happened? Where was he?_

He carefully looked around him. A desk towered before him and an equally towering red ogre sat behind it. All that kept the ogre from looking like a complete monster were his black spectacles and professionally oiled hair. Two very scared looking blue officer workers were at each side of the comically large desk. This was certainly not Earth.

_Did I__…__lose? No, impossible! I am the perfect being! I do not loose! _

"Ah, Cell." The red ogre was smiling. "I see your reign of terror as finally been brought to an end. Kami knows we had enough souls from you," the red giant said. "I am King Yemma and I have the distinct pleasure of sentencing your afterlife." King Yemma leaned forward, large hands resting on the desk as a sinister pleasing look came over his face. Sadly, it seemed to go completely unnoticed by the bio-android.

_What is that old fool blabbering about? I did not die! I am perfect! I could never be defeated! _But still, a nagging thought tugged at the back of his mind. Had he..?

An image surfaced to his mind. There he was, and Gohan, facing off with kamehameha waves, each striving for power, each knowing that their life depended on the outcome. He had gained the upper hand, had been so close to victory he could literally taste it. He had prevailed, even when those worthless fools had all attacked at once. He had been winning! What had happened?

"Why the lost look, Cell? Surely you didn't expect to win?"

Vegeta; that's what had happened. He remembered it all now. Vegeta throwing off his concentration and enabling Gohan to overpower him in his moment of distraction.

"For all of your heinous acts on Earth I'm sure you know where you're going. Hell has a special place just for you." Yemma picked up a stamp, ready to mark Cell's fate across the paper.

BANG!

The door burst open, making Yemma jump and causing his stamp to fly out of his hand. He fumbled for it and, once it was secure in his fist, looked up, eyes narrowed at whoever had disturbed him.

"What's up, dudes," Grand Kai yelled, readjusting the boom box on his shoulder. He grinned toothily and flashed the 'rock on' sign at King Yemma.

Yemma, shocked, only managed to gape. Cell hadn't even noticed the blatant entrance.

"I'm here to tell ya Cell isn't going to Hell," Grand Kai started, walking foreword and placing his boom box on the floor. He delivered the news as if he was telling Yemma that the Supreme Kai was throwing a party.

"What!? Cell has killed countless numbers of humans, not to mention Goku." Yemma slammed his fist on the table, rattling the lamp and causing papers to fly. His stamp also went out of his hand once more but he made no attempt to secure it. "Surely you can't be-"

"Hey, I'm just telling you what the Supreme Kai told me. Cell is getting a chance to redeem himself."

Cell seemed to come out of his daze at those words. He turned curiously towards Grand Kai, a non-existent eyebrow raised.

"Redeem himself," Yemma asked, outraged. The very thought of Cell redeeming himself was preposterous. What had possessed the Supreme Kai to give Cell a chance to 'redeem' himself? "And how, exactly, is he to 'redeem himself'?"

"Well, he's going to be given the body of a teenager and he's going to attend a school called Orange Star High. Supreme Kai wants him to change the lives of three people for the better and to befriend Gohan."

Cell's magenta eyes widened, his mouth gaping. Befriend Gohan? They had to be out of their imperfect little minds. Befriend the little whelp that had destroyed him? Then again... this plans had merits...

"Well, Cell," Grand Kai said, turning towards the shocked bio-android. "Wanna have a chance to redeem yourself?"

Cell glared skeptically at the old Kai. "And why, exactly, have I been given this chance?"

"You know, I asked the Supreme Kai that myself. He didn't answer though. Just mumbled something about the future and told me to go. He's funny that way."

Cell simply stared at the man, his face impassive. Inside, his mind wasn't as blank as his face. The wheels were turning inside his perfect brain, forming all the possibilities that could come from this, revenge being the foremost. They were practically offering it to him! Go back to Earth, be near Gohan. It was the perfect opportunity! Perhaps he could even go along with them for awhile? Become friends with Gohan, then stab him in the back at the last moment. No, as tempting as it was, he had a sense of pride. He would do it fairly. He had almost done it fairly last time, until that worthless fool had decided to intervene! Despicable, really. And here he thought Saiyans had a sense of pride.

"Uh…Cell?"

The scheming android looked up from his musings. "And what, exactly, is the catch?" He wasn't stupid enough to believe he had this chance for free.

The Grand Kai grinned as if catching on to the android's thoughts.

"You will be placed inside the body of a young man whose gonna die soon. You may not attack anyone or use your powers. The moment you do, your soul will be pulled and thrown immediately into Hell. And, as I've said, you must change three people's lives for the better and befriend Gohan."

Cell folded his arms across his broad chest. Was that all? He had expected all of those rules. And if he was to be put in a human body he highly doubted that it would be able to handle his awesome power; the body and the powers wouldn't be in sync at all and it would only backfire on him. He ran through the rules one more time, exploring all possibilities that might doom him to fail. He didn't need power to exact his revenge, he could do that in other ways.

"Any questions," the Grand Kai asked.

A second passed, and then the bio-android gave him an odd look. "If the boy is dying, won't his body be too weak to handle my spirit?"

"Ah," Grand Kai started. "Yea, that's true. Your spirits power will be able to rejuvenate the body, but only for a short amount of time. Say… a year or so. The boy's body can barely handle your power as it is and too much of it would have the body break down on the spot."

"What happens at the end of one year then?"

"Well, you die, of course. The body is on borrowed time as it is, and we can't let you wander Earth forever."

Cell's eyes narrowed in contemplation. Could he exact his revenge in a year? Gohan was going to be very distrustful of him. Unless…

"Will Goku and the others know who I am?"

"Goku will. We told him of our plan and he agreed. Piccolo and Dende are gonna be in charge of over-seeing your time on Earth."

Cell snorted. Goku had always been big on second chances.

"Alright. I will take this… offer. When do I leave?"


	2. Resurrection

"You leave right now, of course. No time to waste. The boy you're inhabiting is already about to pass on to the next world," Grand Kai said. "Are you ready?"

Cell unfolded his arms and nodded.

In the next instant, the world collapsed before his eyes and he felt very small. It took him a moment to realize that his body had been condensed into a glowing orb that floated a few feet off the ground. Just as he registered this, he was off at break neck speed, zooming past the denizens of the After World. Soon they disappeared and everything became a blur that even his perfectly trained eyes could not decipher. The ride ended just as quick as it had started as he came to an abrupt halt in a very different room.

He did not know much about human buildings, but he knew this one was called a Hospital. The walls were obscenely white and barely decorated with little more than a degree from some school and a few diagrams of the human body. But none of that mattered. What did was the small family below him.

A boy in his teens was laying on a cot, a mouthpiece attached to his face that fogged over with each exhale of the boy's breath. Next to the bed was a short blonde haired woman sobbing on a gray haired man's shirt. Lines creased the man's forehead and his honey brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. His wrinkled old hand was slowly rubbing the woman's back.

Cell stared stonily at them, not the least bit moved by the emotional display. The bio-android waited patiently, hovering above the family. He had waited ten days for the Cell Games, he could wait a few more minutes for this boy to die of natural causes. Finally, the heart monitor went flat and the machine emitted a monotonous tone that filled the room. The woman's sobs reached a crescendo but Cell was focused on the dead body. Slowly, a soul arose from the boy. It lingered a bit, circling around the two, and then flew out. Unbidden, Cell's own soul entered the body.

Once in he became aware of quite a few things. He was definitely shorter than before, which wasn't surprising. The woman's sobs also sounded significantly louder from here. Apparently his sensitive hearing was intact. He tried moving his limbs but found them unresponsive. What was wrong with this body?

"Wendy," he heard the man say gently. "Wendy, look." The woman's sobs quieted a little as she detached herself from the man and looked at Cell. Her mouth fell open, forming a tiny 'o' as joy filled her face and fresh tears lined her eyes.

"Oh Aiden! I'm so glad your alive!" Ragged emotion laced her words. "I..I….I don't know what I would've done if you had left me!" She reached over and hugged him, his face landing directly in her bosom. Cell involuntarily flinched. He had never been… hugged… before. How did he deal with these people? He simply nodded and tried to lean out of the hug. The woman seemed to have no intention of letting him go though.

"Uhm.." he coughed slightly. "Can you release me?"

She stilled and leaned away, though her arms were still around him. "Oh, Aiden, don't what are you saying?" She suddenly gasped and turned towards the man, releasing him in the process. Cell sighed in relief and leaned back. "Oh dad, what if he lost his memories?"

The man stroked his chin. "Well, I suppose it's possible. He did hit his head after all."

A horrified look came over Wendy's face. Before she could comment further, the doctor and a nurse rushed in. The nurse coaxed Wendy into sitting as the doctor began checking Cell's vitals. When he was done, the doctor stepped back, amazement on his face.

"I don't know how, Ms. Destan, but it seems your son has made a full recovery."

The woman's hand flew to her chest as she sighed in relief. She took out a white cloth from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.

"But doctor, he doesn't seem to remember anything."

"Amnesia is common in head trauma patients," he said, tapping the clipboard he had picked up from the end of the cot. "I would like to keep him over night, run a CAT scan, monitor him some more. He just came out of a critical condition." He scrawled something across the clipboard and then handed it to the nurse. "It would be best if you left now so that Aiden can rest."

Wendy nodded. "Of course, doctor." She turned back towards Cell and stroked his cheek. "Don't worry Aiden. Mommy will be back for you tomorrow."

Cell simply nodded and restrained himself from pulling away from her. Ugh, humans and their affections. Goku had showed such displays of affection to his own son and Cell had found it pointless. Right now he found it repulsive.

The next day came a bit too fast for his liking. Wendy and the other man were now in his room waiting for him to get dressed in some clothes they had brought for him. He was in the bathroom, staring at his reflection, eye twitching.

This body.. was so weak! Oh, he hadn't had high expectations when he realized he would be inhabiting a human body. But this was ridiculous. The body was thin and pale. He could even see the faint outline of ribs. What had this boy done all day? Nothing, apparently. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Alright, alright, he could handle this. He was the perfect being, after all.

_That's why you were defeated._

Augh! He threw the jeans and t-shirt on, both hanging limply off his frail frame. He glared at the mirror once more and then stalked out of the bathroom.

The car ride back to his new home was almost unbearable. That woman kept babbling, asking him how he was, what he wanted, if he wanted to stop anywhere in particular. Usually he could have just tuned her out but he was agitated. His fingers were tapping against his leg as he stared out the window, elbow resting on the door and his hand propping his chin up.

"Now Robert," she started, turning around in her seat to face him. "You don't have to start school tomorrow you know. In fact, the doctor said it would probably be better if you didn't."

"What," Cell said, turning away from the window to look at her. "Not start school?" That was unacceptable.

"Oh, I knew you wouldn't want to," she said, mistaking his panicked question for eagerness.

"No! I want to! I have to!"

She gave him a strange look. "But sweetie, you really should-"

"I cant let my schooling slip behind," Cell said. Was that a reasonable enough excuse to go to school? He didn't want her confining him to the house. Ugh, to be at the mercy of a such a pitiful woman. Dr. Gero was surely rolling over in his grave.

"Are you sure, Aiden dear? I know the school will understand. You took quite a nasty hit to the head."

"Yes, I'm positive I want to go to school."

She gave him another worried glance. "Well…..if you're positive…"

He sighed. "Yes, I'm quite positive."

Giving a dejected sigh, the woman faced the front again.

His new home was acceptable at least. It wasn't very big, but it seemed alright by human standards. It was a simple one story with blue shingles and a porch that hosted some potted plants. Inside, Wendy led him to the kitchen and tried to feed him some dish that she called his favorite. Did he remember it, she had asked with eager eyes. He decided to try it and almost spit it out. Ugh, what was this? Oatmeal, she had called it? It was lumpy and way too sweet. Disgusting.

After dismissing the food he asked to be directed to his room. He wasn't very hungry and would rather rest. Truthfully, he wanted to get away from her before she tried to feed him something else or hug him. She frowned but reluctantly showed him where he was sleeping.

When he was finally alone he began inspecting the room. It was rather spacious and very decorated in what looked to be hand drawn pictures and paintings. There was a mirror as well, but every last inch had been covered in photographs. Sunsets, boulevards, mountains, people, animals. Some were in color, others were black and white. He stared, inspecting each picture one by one. His gaze stopped. Was that… him!

He picked the photo up. It was far away but was zoomed in on him. It must have been in the ten days before the Cell Games because he was standing in his ring, arms crossed, head bowed. Why hadn't he detected his presence? Odd.. he shrugged and released the photo. It was interesting, but irrelevant to the larger scheme of things.

"Dad, I just don't understand. Does he really not remember anything?" Wendy's voice. She wasn't speaking very loudly, but his sensitive hearing allowed him to pick up her words.

"He'll remember in time sweetheart. We just need to be patient. Keep showing him reminders. That's what the doctor said. The memories are there, they just need to be coaxed out."

"Maybe I should go in there and-" Cell tensed.

"No no sweetie. Just let him be, alright?"

The bio-android let out a sigh of relief. Kami, what was wrong with him? He was the model of perfection- a warrior with the brain to match his muscles- and he was tensing up over a silly human woman who hugged him. He wanted to let his rage out but knew it would attract their attention. And besides that, this body might just crumple at the slightest display of power. He snorted and sat on the bed. Might as well try and sleep, he supposed. He had managed to do so at the hospital and if he could on that lumpy bed then he could in this much more comfortable bed surely. Curse this weak human body!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or its characters and the story is simply for fun and no profit is being made from it.


End file.
